Undergraduate Research

What are the benefits of being an ESIP research assistant?

The benefits to you include excellent mentorship in Social Psychology research and membership in a supportive scholarly environment. You may also have the opportunity to present at international conferences. Strong student researchers will have a hand in implementing their own ideas into experimental procedures and even publishing the results in high caliber, peer-reviewed journals. During the academic year, RAs receive research course credit for their participation in the lab (see below).

How do I apply?

Please complete this interest form and allow for 5 business days, after which you can email Dr. Leonard at dleonard@lclark.edu to follow up. 

After receiving applications, the lab manager will contact candidates and schedule interviews. 

How competitive is the application process?  

I choose students for the lab very carefully and only accept a handful of undergraduate research assistants each year. As I have a limited number of research assistant opportunities, competition is typically strong.  Acceptance of new students into the lab is based upon availability, degree progress, and academic merit.  Here are some of the criteria I apply:

1. It is best if beginning lab members have at least one full academic year left before graduation so they can receive some training and have time to develop their own project. Because training new research assistants is time-consuming, we request a soft one year commitment from our research assistants. 

2. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for all applicants.

3. Preference is given to students that have completed Psy 200 (or another statistics course), Psy 300 (or equivalent research methods course) and Psy 260 (Social Psychology) and have earned at least a "B" in these courses. Applicants that have yet to complete these courses or have completed these courses with grades below "B" will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

4. Students considering graduate school in psychology are strongly encouraged to apply.

What role do research assistants play in the lab?

Research assistants play a vital part in conducting the research that is done in the lab, from beginning to end.  Research in our lab is done in teams, each consisting of roughly three student members – a team leader, team associate, and team assistant.  Research teams are organized hierarchically to facilitate the progress of each project and to advance team members from novice researchers to experts.  Students' skills and responsibilities shift based on their experience in the lab and the project at hand, but may include:

- Attending lab meetings and contributing to discussion
- Conducting literature reviews on relevant social psychology topics
- Scheduling and coordinating study participants
- Assisting with data collection, both in lab and field settings
- Inputting and cleaning data using statistical software
- Transcribing and coding qualitative data
- Assisting with data analysis under the guidance of senior researchers
- Helping prepare posters, presentations, and reports on research findings

Can I get credit for doing research in the ESIP lab?

Research assistants may earn up to 4 credits toward the major under the code 295/495 (Faculty Directed Study). Students new to the lab will typically enroll for 1 or 2 credits. The amount of work per week can ebb and flow throughout the semester but should average out to 3 hours per week per credit. Registration matters will be resolved during the add/drop period.